If you asked a youth pastor 25 years ago what his senior pastor was really like, he might have said, “He’s great, very successful, the church is growing and he is really a good preacher.” Today, ask the same question of a satisfied church staff member and you will likely hear something quite different. More likely: “He’s so approachable, authentic and a real team player.”

It is easy to be critical of prayer, particularly the prayers of others. Robert Murray McCheyne’s words are often cited because they remain painfully true: “You wish to humble a man? Ask him about his prayer life.”

The effects of extremism have been on display all weekend. Even this morning they are splashed across every television screen, every news site, the front page of every newspaper. The attacks in Paris have shown us extremism at its most brutal and bloody, the kind that celebrates death, destruction and mayhem.

But did you know that the Bible calls Christians to extremism as well?